ORDER:

This Criminal Petition is filed by the petitioner-accused seeking to quash the proceedings against him in Crime No.208 of 2020 of Chennur Police Station, Mancherial District, registered for the offences under Sections 417, 420, 506 and 493 I.P.C. and Sections 3(1)(s) and 3(2)(va) of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

2. Heard Sri M.R.S. Srinivas, learned counsel for the petitioner and Sri Vadlakonda Ravi Kumar Reddy, learned counsel for respondent No.2.

3. The case of the de facto complainant is that she got married to one Lachaiah and lead martial life with him for about ten years. While so, she has been in relationship with the accused and the accused used to treat her as his wife. It is alleged that even though she was married, the accused did not allow her to go to her husband and further, has facilitated divorce with him. It is further alleged that in the year 2005, out of the said relationship with the accused, she gave birth to a girl child and that on the date of complaint, the child is 15 years old. It is further alleged that due to some differences between both of them, earlier she has filed a case vide Crime No.22 of 2013 of Chennur Police Station and on the promise of the accused that he would treat her as his wife; that he would perform the marriage of their daughter; and that he would gave a share in the property, she has compromised the said matter. Thereafter, the accused used to come to her every day and used to treat her as his wife and used to arrange for all the necessities. It is further alleged that four years prior to the date of complaint, the accused got married to another lady, but even then he used to come to her and continued his relationship with her and treated her as his wife and that all the villagers know about their relationship. While so, on 10.03.2020, when she went to the house of accused, he has abused her, denied the relationship with her and has threatened her that he would cut her and her daughter into pieces. When she asked the accused to provide resources for the education and marriage of their child, he has been avoiding her and abused her in the name of caste and has rejected her as she belongs to Scheduled Caste. It is further alleged that she tried to settle the matter with the panchayat elders, but the accused has not cooperated for the same. Hence, she has filed the present complaint, which was registered as Crime No.208 of 2020 of Chennur Police Station, for the offences under Sections 417, 420, 506 and 493 I.P.C. and Sections 3(1)(s) and 3(2)(va) of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

4. Learned counsel for the petitioner submitted that the de facto complainant got habituated to lodge such complaints and extort money from the petitioner-accused. He further submitted that in the earlier complaint filed in the year 2013, the de facto complainant has stated that she has been in relationship with the accused since five years. But, in the present complaint she alleges that in the year 2005, a daughter was born to her through the accused. Thus, the de facto complainant has been making self-contradictory statements and that there is no truth in the allegations. He further submitted that the earlier complaint was closed based on the 164 Cr.P.C. statement given by the de facto complainant, which clearly shows that the petitioner is innocent and has not committed any such offence as alleged by the de facto complainant. Thus, to extort money and to wreak vengeance against the petitioner, the present complaint is filed by the de facto complainant and continuation of the same would be an abuse of process of law. He, therefore, prayed to quash the proceedings in the present crime against the petitioner.

5. Learned counsel for respondent No.2 has submitted that the petitioner has deceived the de facto complainant by making false promises, lured her with his words and used her. He further submitted tha